Follow Your Heart
by Glitteringstar44
Summary: Satine faked her death (yes, another one of these) and went off to London. Little does she know she is living with someone with connections to her old home. *LATER* Will Christian choose to forgive...or forget?


"Stop C-44 London coming to a stop in 2 minutes! Please gather your things and be ready to un-board." The conductor shouted in a deep and tired sounding voice. Satine wearily gathered together her one bag and her favorite book, even though she had only had it for a short while. She took one last look out the window in the back of the train, and a last look at her past. Everything- the Moulin Rouge, her job as a courtesan, faking her death, and everyone she had been involved with.

The train came to a halt, and Satine quietly handed the conductor her last item containing her real name. Soon, she would be known to everyone in London as Isabella James. She would also no longer have any links to her past, for she was forbidden to let anyone know her true identity, not that anyone would actually figure it out, let alone know about the Moulin Rouge. 

In one hand she clutched her bag and book, and in the other a piece of paper containing the address of where she would be living. It also contained a letter stating she would be living there, given to her by her adoptive parents, Marie and Harold Zidler. It was only a short walk from the train station to her new living quarters, and for Satine, it was easy to find. Gingerly, she walked up the path and knocked on the door. As she waited for someone to answer the door, she took a quick look around.

"Harold, when you told me I would be living grandly, I didn't think you meant in a mansion." Satine muttered to herself.

"Around here, talking to yourself is a sure sign of insanity." Satine whirled around and saw a little girl of about 6 standing behind her. "Are you the one that is to be living with us? I love your hair! How did you get it so long? Are you nice? Where did you come from? What's your name? Do you like it here? Is anyone else coming?" The little girl was very energetic, but before Satine could answer her questions, a middle-aged woman opened the door.

"Missy, are you bothering Miss James? Please go inside and make sure her room is presentable, while I talk to her." Missy bounded inside, singing a song as she skipped up the stairs. "I apologize for her. As you can see, she is quite the bundle of energy. I am the only one her you can talk to about your," She cleared her throat, "past. Harold has contacted me, as he is one of my oldest and dearest friends. I'm terribly sorry, that was very rude of me. My name is Amanda Zilka. Let me show you to your room. You must be terribly tired after your journey." After nodding, Satine was lead up a flight of stairs. She noticed how clean and tidy the place was. Soon, Amanda opened up a door on the right.

"Here it is! I hope you like it. Dinner is served at 6 o'clock on the dot. Please feel free to roam anywhere in the house." With that, Amanda turned and left Satine free until 6.

_Served?_ Satine thought. There was a quiet tap on her back. Satine turned around only to find Missy looking up at her.

"You never answered my questions." She said, her face falling.

Satine vaguely remembered some of Missy's questions, so she tried as best she could to answer them in order. "I'm sorry. I am the one that will be living with you. I have been growing my hair all my life. I think I am nice, though you'll probably have to find that out for yourself. I'm from," Satine paused, remembering the story Harold had come up with, so as to tell the truth, but not the direct truth. "Paris. I already I like it here very much. Does that answer all of your questions?" Satine said with a laugh.

Missy's face broke into a grin, but she said one thing that really got to Satine. "What's your name?"

Satine couldn't figure out why she felt so uncomfortable, but then she figured it out. It was because her new name meant a new life and nothing more could happen with her old friends. It was time to move on and forget everything, or else it would only tie her down. "Isabella." 

"Can I call you Izzy?"

Satine rather liked that nickname, and if it made Missy happy, then she supposed it was okay. "Sure. I have a feeling we will get along just fine."

~~~~~~~~~

"Cwistian, you have to move on. Life goes on. Satine will always be in your heart. She loved you, and you know that. You know the only reason Satine broke up wif you was to save you." Toulouse smiled at his best friend, who had been holed up for 8 days, ever since Satine had died. "She is closer than you think, Cwistian. Follow your heart and love will find a way."

Toulouse's words made sense, yet they also irritated Christian. Christian looked at Toulouse with his adorable green eyes that had once been filled with so much life. "She's gone, Toulouse. She's gone. Not coming back. Dead. Do I need to say any more definitions?" There was no emotion is Christian's voice. "Not to mention the frog squashing Duke is already in another relationship, with the girl who double-crossed us all and made him tear her away from me."

Toulouse was only half listening. "Nini is not all bad, Cwistian. It was an impulse. She only wanted the Duke to notice her, but at the same time, notice Satine. Just remember, Cwistian...Satine is closer than you think. Follow your heart, and you will find the right path." With that, Toulouse walked out of Christians small untidy apartment and went upstairs to his home.

Little to Christians knowledge, Toulouse had heard every word between Harold and Satine before the opening performance of "Spectacular, Spectacular," including where she was headed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Month after month went by, with Satine getting used to the idea of servants, though not too well. Missy and Amanda had both had to talk to her and tell her that servants were paid to do their jobs. Satine had also made a new friend. A squirrel that she had met outside in the gardens. He was hers, and always came when she was out. 

"Ewan?" Satine called for the squirrel, using the name she had given him. "Oh, Ewan, how can you hate it somewhere but love it all in the same time?" Christian only looked at her with his big, brown eyes. He sensed something was wrong, so he scampered up a nearby tree and did, what looked like to Satine, a dance. Satine laughed, and decided to tell Ewan her story.

"I was paid to make men believe what they wanted to believe, only I could never fall in love. Then one day Harold called upon a Duke to invest in the Moulin Rouge. He was a horrible man, and that's the only reason I had to fake my death and come here, to save Christian. Oh, Christian...he was wonderful!" And Satine played out her story, with Ewan listening attentively the whole time, almost as if he could understand her. Little did Satine know, there was someone nearby whom could understand her perfectly, and who had now figured out what all her cousin's letters had been about.

After Satine finished her story, Missy crept quietly inside. She pulled out all of the letters her uncles had sent her in the past 4 months, and re-read them all. Then she opened the letter she had received that day and read it.

__

Dearest Missy,

Christian is getting worse. He has not been out side his apartment once, and his typewriter is starting to look like it has been stored away for a long time. I only wish that Satine had not left him. He lover her so. But enough about my depressing life here. How is your new friend, Isabella, I think her name was? I would so love to meet her. From what you've told me, she seems to have had a pretty rough life. Her husband leaving her, a murder threat... it sounds very painful. Just tell her, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return." It's a saying one of my good friends told me, and it used to comfort him, until... well, I told you already. I will be looking forward to your next letter.

With love,

Uncle Toulouse

_Poor Christian, and poor Satine. If only Christian knew Satine's side of the story. What am I saying? I...I am living with a courtesan who ran away. Oh, wow, this is all too much. Should I tell her? _Poor Missy had learned so much, yet could not tell Izzy because then she would know she was listening and may never speak to her again. But then she could write to Christian... no, that would never work. But if she told Izzy about everything, and showed her the letters, then Izzy could write to Christian using Toulouse's address and an envelope addressed to him in Missy's writing. Everything could work out perfectly! She just had to ask her uncle first. She sent off the letter.

Within 5 days, his reply came. To Missy, it was not good news.

_Dearest Missy,_

I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid that will not work. You see, if you did your plan, then sooner or later everyone would find out about Satine, which means the Duke will find out. He wanted to kill Christian before, remember? He was very, very jealous of him because Satine loved Christian. I heard everything. Satine was pushing Christian away to save him. Please do not let Izzy know about any of this, and be very careful. I hope to see you soon!

Love,

Uncle Toulouse

Missy was very disappointed. She sniffled and set the letter down on the table, leaving it open. Walking over to the icebox, she started crying. She then grabbed a piece of ice to suck on and ran up to her room, forgetting all about the letter.

Satine walked in from the garden, feeling very refreshed. She went to get a leftover roll from the previous night and sat down at the table. Her eyes caught sight of the letter Toulouse had sent Missy. She figured it wasn't important, but her eyes caught sight of Toulouse's name. She gasped and put her hand to her mouth, reading the letter, then re-reading it.


End file.
